San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1887-01-21
About Cranks.
For the LIGHT.

For the LIGHT.
The word crank is more frequently
used, ignorantly than intelligently, by
the average man, and what is more, is
applied from feeling OF pique, resent
ment, or of wounded self-love. Crank
ness means some degree of want of bal
ance iL the mental faculties, and this
crankiness determines whether person
is a crank or not. 1t used to be the
fashion to refute arguments by branding
their author as visionary or romantic,
and this method of refutation saved
much wear and tear Of mind and was
sufficient to arouse the prejudices and
the opposition of such as recoil from
every measure out of the routine Of
things.
There are cranks In all professions and
callings; and, as was previously re-
marked, they may be known by their in
temperance OF zeal and lack Of mental
balance.
The full-fedged probibitionist is a
crank, simply because he refuses to give
his reason fair play and to look at the
subject In all its aspects. He Is Inclined
TO sacrifice everything In order to Sc
cure prohibitory law, and to abuse and
denounce all that oppose his views. in
the most Incorporate style. Charity Of
opinion ia never found in the real crank,
since he holds he is infallibly right
and such as disagree with him
are inevitably in error. This is the
temper of every prosecutor. He is per-
fectly sincere and honest In his opinions,
but the trouble arises from his mental
makeup preventing him from looking
at the subject in all its aspects.
or course, intemperanoe is q tremen-
dous evil, destroying health, mind and
body, and impoverishing thousands Of
women and children. No sane person
| ever has affirmed intemperance to be
harmless, far less beneficial. But wbeth-
er prohibition will exterminate intem-
| perance lie an open question concerning
which good men may differ widely.
The theological crank is quite COM
mon, and is imperviOus to argument,
simply because he regards himself as in
fallibly right and all who dissent from
him ss clearly and hopelessly in error.
| The habit of speaking to an audience,
without anyone to reply TO them, tends
to render theologians Of all sects, dog
matte, arbitrary and arrogant, generally,
but particularly so on subjects connect
ed with their sect. This exemption from
reply, while they are In the pulpit, tends
to render theologogians not only dog
matte In tone and arbitrary in temper,
but to develop in them a considerable
| fund Of self conceit. Whoever happens
to dissent from a theological crank, is
morally certain to be stigmatlzed by the
theological crank as q crank, upon the
same principle, that a drunken man
considers himself sober and all other to
be drunk. AS a general thing, theolo-
| gians are intolerant; impatient under
contradiction, and unable to brook OPP
position, and Ii proceeds from the con-
ceit, that they are infallible and the rest
OF mankind prone to go astray from the
pole of truth. Sectarianism In its I'M
diluted form, is fanaticism full-fedged.
| Wherever a man or woman Ia saturated
with the belief, that he OF she is infalli-
bly, right, he or she becomes dogmatic
In tone, Incorporate In language. arbi-
trary in temper, impatient of cOntradic-
ton and int"lerant Of difference OF opin-
ion. They will unhesitatingly pronounce
such as differ in opinion from them,
cranks of the first water, and will CEN
sure the world 10 case 1t declines to en-
dorse this characterization as being cor
rect. Charity Of opinion is a rare virtue,
and Its rarity arises from the conceit
men entertain of their personal infalli-
bility and Of the liability of other men
to mistake and err. The theological
crank cannot now light the fires of per-
seontiOn, but he would do SO IL he had
the power, and commit to the flames all
who presumed to dissent from him.
Thousands OF theolOgians are un-
troubled with crankiness and self con.
ceit; their minds are well.balaneed, like
a well trimmed ship, and they realize
their personal liability to mistake and
err, consequently they never consider
men fools and oranks simply for not co.
NEEDING with them. In my next, fur
ther specimens Of the genius crank will
be treated Of. ToNEY.